China, US business communities urged to strengthen ties

Xie Feng, Beijing's top envoy in Washington has urged business communities in the world's two largest economies to deepen dialogue, narrow politically driven disputes, and pursue new opportunities made possible by the stabilizing role of the head-of-state diplomacy as well as China's next five-year development blueprint.

The ambassador made the remarks at the China-US Business Cooperation Forum, co-hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Meridian International Center in Washington on Thursday.

He said China-US economic relations had seen both progress and setbacks this year, prompting many executives on both sides to ask how to interpret the relationship in a "new era" and how to take it forward.

"The personal commitment of President Xi Jinping and President Trump to stabilizing bilateral relations has injected precious certainty into our economic cooperation, to the reassurance of the Chinese and American business communities who have been unsettled by the tensions in recent years," Xie said.

"Going forward, President Trump is planning to visit China in April next year, and has invited President Xi to visit the US," he said. "We can expect heads-of-state diplomacy to continue serving as the anchor of China-US relations."

The envoy briefly introduced the Communist Party of China Central Committee's recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), which were unveiled in October.

According to the recommendations, China will emphasize high-quality development, stronger innovation, and the cultivation of new productive forces, while advancing high-standard and institutional opening, and creating greater space for two-way investment, he said.

It is estimated that by 2035, China's middle-income group will expand to 700 to 800 million people, and China will open its doors only wider and wider. All these will create broader space for China-US economic and trade cooperation, Xie said.

Looking ahead, Xie said the year 2026 will offer "unprecedented" cooperation opportunities for Chinese and American companies, with both countries presiding over major global economic forums in the same year.

China will host the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen and the US will host the G20 Summit.

Xie said that seizing these opportunities will require practical steps from the business sector, guided by what he described as "three lists".

The first is to expand the list of dialogue, as progress depends on sustained communication.

Xie called for increased use of existing consultation mechanisms and greater engagement with platforms like the China International Import Expo and the China International Supply Chain Expo, where US companies already participate extensively.

The second priority is expanding the list of cooperation, Xie said, noting that industrial clusters in emerging fields such as new energy, new materials, aviation, aerospace and the low-altitude economy could potentially create multi-trillion-yuan markets in China.

Furthermore, China will expand pilot programs in value-added telecommunications, biotechnology, wholly foreign-owned hospitals, and other services, thereby creating new opportunities for practical partnerships between Chinese and American companies.

"At the same time, we expect the US government to provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese businesses investing and operating here," he said.

The third is to reduce the list of problems, which Xie said should be addressed constructively and based on facts, rather than accusations or ideological framing.

He asked US business leaders to help counter misinformation and prevent disruptions that could erode confidence in bilateral economic cooperation.